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kaitlen915's review against another edition
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
rebeccakoury's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book was going very strong for me for the first 75%, but the last 25% was a whirlwind in not the best way. I love Abby Jimenez's work so I do wonder if I read this by another author, if I would have rated it lower. I just wish that Kristen's friends and partner could have given her the space to recognize she had been SUFFERING for years, and didn't push the pregnancy thing. I understand she wanted it too, but it felt invalidating at times. Also, did Brandon need to die??? The plot could definitely have been serious without killing off a character for literally no reason.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Medical content, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Medical trauma
melm1216's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I hated both of them throughout the entire book and then Abby goes and does that to me???
Real talk though, it was well written (of course, it's Abby Jimenez). I know I was supposed to like Kristen but how she handled Tyler was so slimy.girl didn't even officially end things before sleeping with the other guy? It felt really off putting and I was not cheering for her in the moment. Also, I hate surprise pregnancy my Lord.
Anyway, 3 stars just because I could not tolerate these characters but loved the book
Real talk though, it was well written (of course, it's Abby Jimenez). I know I was supposed to like Kristen but how she handled Tyler was so slimy.
Anyway, 3 stars just because I could not tolerate these characters but loved the book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infertility, Mental illness, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Mental illness and Injury/Injury detail
nyquillll's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Cried so much with this book - I could viscerally feel and was experiencing the grief, longing, and loss. I adore a relationship built on friendship, respect, admiration, and wanting what’s best for the other person.
I identified with the fertility issues and irregular menstrual symptoms Kristen experienced. I appreciated the representation of her condition and difficulties - not only the physical ones but also the psychological ones. A lot of her feelings of unworthiness and disbelief that someone could stay was very relatable.
I think what knocked off a few points in the rating for me was how “insta-love” this book felt to me. They literally fell in LOVE with each other in a matter of weeks. I know spending time with someone, intense time, can cause feelings to develop, but to this extent? And how it began while she was still in a relationship? And how she pounced on him the minute her bf broke up with her??? . I’ll say, though I had a rough time with some parts, I did mostly like how the author didn’t paint the ex bf as an asshole, but just that the two really didn’t fit. He was in love with a woman who wasn’t in love with him.
I will also say I disliked the (many) misogynistic comments and pounding-on-chest-“She’s-mine” inner dialogues. Really could’ve done without that, especially since she was posited as a very independent, fiercely herself kind of woman.
ALSO WHY DID BRANDON HAVE TO DIE 😭 WAS THAT REALLY NECESSARY TO MOVE THE PLOT ALONG OR SET UP SLOAN’S STORY??? i’d wager not 😭
I identified with the fertility issues and irregular menstrual symptoms Kristen experienced. I appreciated the representation of her condition and difficulties - not only the physical ones but also the psychological ones. A lot of her feelings of unworthiness and disbelief that someone could stay was very relatable.
I think what knocked off a few points in the rating for me was how “insta-love” this book felt to me. They literally fell in LOVE with each other in a matter of weeks. I know spending time with someone, intense time, can cause feelings to develop, but to this extent? And how it began
I will also say I disliked the (many) misogynistic comments and pounding-on-chest-“She’s-mine” inner dialogues. Really could’ve done without that, especially since she was posited as a very independent, fiercely herself kind of woman.
ALSO WHY DID
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Infertility, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Misogyny
mirandaburel's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This book is an interesting read. In the one hand there were things I really liked (josh, primarily) and other things I really didn’t (the entire existence of Tyler, the purposeful miscommunication). Sometimes this book reached for 4 stars and other times I wanted to rate it a 2.
I think the author’s note gave a lot of insight and empathy toward the fertility plot line. but the pacing of it, the way Kristen refused to have a proper conversation about it with Josh, the late OCD reveal (which makes a lot of sense and makes me think she’s an unreliable narrator and almost want to reread it through that lens)… to me it was just frustrating to read. I feel like a lot of things could have been explored more but were brushed aside to make it a ~romance~.
Speaking of the romance…again I have mixed feelings. I think they had great chemistry, but they also fell for each other ridiculously quickly. I feel like the central conflict being her fertility would have been better than if it was just that. But instead she had this not-exactly-cheating plot line with Tyler and Josh (that led to her eventual pregnancy iirc), and Tyler’s proposal, her “thinking about it” only to immediately refuse. It’s just felt unnecessary when the central conflict could have just been her working through her health issues while grappling with her growing feelings for Josh. (To be clear, a lot of time is still spent in that conflict, but it felt like stonewalling and not actual progress).
Them the thing with alone and Brandon….felt gratuitous. Now that I know it’s a setup for book 2 it makes sense, but it was A Choice for the third act conflict and i just didn’t really like it!
TLDR this book tried to do too much, instead of digging deep with the most interesting bits.
Speaking of the romance…again I have mixed feelings. I think they had great chemistry, but they also fell for each other ridiculously quickly. I feel like the central conflict being her fertility would have been better than if it was just that. But instead she had this not-exactly-cheating plot line with Tyler and Josh (that led to her eventual pregnancy iirc), and Tyler’s proposal, her “thinking about it” only to immediately refuse. It’s just felt unnecessary when the central conflict could have just been her working through her health issues while grappling with her growing feelings for Josh. (To be clear, a lot of time is still spent in that conflict, but it felt like stonewalling and not actual progress).
Them the thing with alone and Brandon….felt gratuitous. Now that I know it’s a setup for book 2 it makes sense, but it was A Choice for the third act conflict and i just didn’t really like it!
TLDR this book tried to do too much, instead of digging deep with the most interesting bits.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Infertility, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, Blood, Pregnancy, and Dysphoria
Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Vomit, Alcohol, and Classism
jillaay_h's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Pregnancy
ehoustonmyatt's review against another edition
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infertility, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Does the dog die?lilypad517's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
huntea's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
PLEASE be careful - I was not prepared for a trauma that happened in the book and it really affected me. I have not been triggered by descriptions of car accidents before, but this one definitely got me. Otherwise, I enjoyed the book but definitely loved her later novels more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infertility, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
racheln23's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Kristen’s toxic trait is that she thinks she should be making other people’s decisions.
I loved how the book started. I enjoyed Kristen’s bluntness and snarkiness. I love how her and Josh clicked. It seemed very authentic, but then things started going downhill.
Kristen was absolutely exhausting. At one point, I literally hated her.
Also, I really imagined the book being a little bit lighter; I t
was under the impression that K&J were going to be thrown into wedding planning WAY more together and we would see some fun, light, playful, and maybe awkward scenes. But wedding planning was almost non existent. If anything, I’d say that K&J are “thrown into a situation where Kristen ends up being Josh’s boss, and they just can’t avoid blurring professional lines!” (Juk juk juk juk juk!)
The book gets incredibly heavy and I hated that as well (too much ptsd for me). The ending was predictable but I 100% knew what Abby Jimenez’s true message was that wasn’t plot related. So cheers to Ms Jimenez.
I loved how the book started. I enjoyed Kristen’s bluntness and snarkiness. I love how her and Josh clicked. It seemed very authentic, but then things started going downhill.
Kristen was absolutely exhausting. At one point, I literally hated her.
Also, I really imagined the book being a little bit lighter; I t
was under the impression that K&J were going to be thrown into wedding planning WAY more together and we would see some fun, light, playful, and maybe awkward scenes. But wedding planning was almost non existent. If anything, I’d say that K&J are “thrown into a situation where Kristen ends up being Josh’s boss, and they just can’t avoid blurring professional lines!” (Juk juk juk juk juk!)
The book gets incredibly heavy and I hated that as well (too much ptsd for me). The ending was predictable but I 100% knew what Abby Jimenez’s true message was that wasn’t plot related. So cheers to Ms Jimenez.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Infertility, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Medical content and Medical trauma